Join us in-person in the library or online for the sixth edition of the series, Fireside Chats: Exploring the Roosevelt Legacy, for a presentation by host Paul Sparrow.

On September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany invaded Poland and started WWII, the most devastating armed conflict in human history. England and France declared war just a few days later. But a majority of Americans were staunchly isolationists and wanted nothing to do with another land war in Europe. President Franklin Roosevelt understood from the very beginning that Hitler posed an existential threat to democracy and freedom everywhere in the world, and began a long process of convincing the American people that helping the allies survive was crucial to our own survival. He faced a formidable array of opponents, most notably the famed aviator Charles Lindbergh who became the leading advocate for isolationism and a harsh critic of FDR's policies. Lindbergh had powerful friends, including the rabid antisemite Henry Ford, publisher William Randolph Hearst, and many conservative politicians. FDR waged a war of words with Lindbergh to awaken Americans to the perils they faced. His efforts to transform the United States into the Arsenal of Democracy was one of his greatest accomplishments.

President Franklin Roosevelt broadcast his first Fireside Chat on March 12th, 1933, just eight days after his inauguration. During his 12 years in office he delivered dozens of Fireside Chats, guiding America through the Great Depression, and guiding a global audience through the horrors of World War Two. FDR’s Fireside Chats were a new form of political communication, using radio to connect with Americans in an intimate setting – right in their living rooms. His compelling and persuasive broadcasts encouraged Americans to believe in democracy and its future. Paul Sparrow, a nationally recognized expert on Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the former director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, hosts this series of programs that build on the foundation laid by FDR’s Fireside Chats, and find their relevance to our world today.

This series is moderated by Paul Sparrow, a nationally recognized expert on Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the former director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. He has written articles and blogs on them, and has appeared on the CBS Evening News, CNN, CSPAN, the History Channel, and the Washington Post’s Presidential podcast.

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